South-East European States agree at UN summit to use waterways to promote peace

The leaders or representatives of nine South-East European countries have pledged today at a United Nations-organized meeting to use the region’s waterways to encourage greater cultural understanding.

The Athens Declaration, adopted by seven Heads of State and two high-level representatives, emphasizes the importance of rivers, lakes and maritime routes in contributing to regional cooperation.

“No civilization and no culture is monolithic as both are the result of millennia of contacts and exchanges,” according to the declaration, which was reached at a summit in the Greek capital co-organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey committed themselves to developing a pool of joint projects involving the waterways to contribute to regional peace and stability.